Youssou NDour, the king of Mbalax has received numerous awards for his music including the prestigious Grammy Awards in the category best world music album and several gold records. He was made an honorary doctor from Yale University in the United States in 2011. In May 2013, he won the Polar Music Prize and was the winner of the Praemium Imperiale, the Japanese equivalent of the Nobel Prize for the Arts in September 2017. Minister-Counsellor to Senegalese President Macky Sall after holding the positions of Minister of Culture and Tourism and Minister of Tourism and Leisure respectively between April 2012 and September 2013, Youssou Ndour is undeniably a success symbol and a great ambassador of African culture around the world.